Another Headache for Jimmy Carter

Posted on Jan 12, 2007

cbsnews.com

Fourteen members of an advisory board to the Carter Center have resigned over the former president’s new book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” saying, “You have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side.”

AP via CBS News:

The resignations at the Carter Center are the latest backlash against the former president’s book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” The book has also drawn fire from Jewish groups and fellow Democrats, and led to the resignation last month of Kenneth Stein, a center fellow and a longtime Carter adviser.

“You have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side,” the departing members of the center’s Board of Councilors told Carter in their letter of resignation.

The 200-member board is responsible for building public support for the Carter Center. It is not the organization’s governing board.

The board’s members “are not engaged in implementing work of the Center,” Carter Center Executive Director John Hardman said Thursday in a news release.

Reply to comment #47833 by john powers on 1/15 at 6:26 pm
“Let this be a REMINDER of why he was a failed one term President”

Yeah, right - that’s what he gets for having a few moral principles. He should know better than to speak up when Zionist racists are telling him to shut up. Well, this is not going to fly much longer. Americans are beginning to wise up.

Thank you President Carter. If only more former and current government officials displayed your courage. You are right and I am grateful. Please don’t stop speaking out. America and her children need your voice.

Its interesting how those that still are determined to bash former president Carter are blind to the plight of the palestinians. We here in america have been raised for the most part to think of Isreal as the “Holy Land” after all. I guess the Palestinians were just unscrupulously borrowing it from say around 60 AD untill 1948. How dare those palestinians who have lived there for so many generations think they are entitled to this land. We can’t begin to help find a solution until we can sit back and try to see this from both sides of the wall ( literally ) instead of just one. I think that is all Carter is trying to say, and I believe he is right. We will never be accepted as an honest broker towards a peace in the middle east as long as we are seen by those in that part of the world as being solely the blind supporters of Isreal.

It warms my heart to see some of the people who have associated with Carter over the years, and who presumably know him the best, finally stand up and speak out about his outrageous actions. Carter has crossed the line from responsible dissent and disagreement to Anti-Semitism and giving aid and comfort to our enemies. He deserves our scorn.

President Carter knows that one is either on the side of the slave or the slave-master, and in the conflict between the indigenous Palestinians and the Jewish settlers, he clearly sees who’s who & what’s what.. How fortunate for all of us, too, since none of us will be free until the last chain is broken.

“Fourteen members of an advisory board to the Carter Center have resigned over the former presidents new book”

That’s what freedom of choice is all about—if those 14, found it too intolerable to be associated with the Carter Center, then it was wise for them to leave—the differences in political ideology is just too disparate, and something that will not be ameliorated any time soon.

The yoke of Zionism, ” Big Brother, ” will never allow the American people to see what is truly happening to the Palestinian people. Mr. Carter without a doubt knew the price he had to pay in informing the American public of the brutality of Israel. Yes, the Zionists will think for all of us and then we will all love
” Big Brother.”

“That goes for all you congressfolks too. Inform yourselves and get on the side where you belong… America’s side.”

Louise…your are right & your comment reflects your love for our USA. Our elected officials are totally silent. They are scared to death from AIPAC. It might be a career suicide for many of our congressmen, congresswomen & many of our senators.

If anyone of them speaks out against “Israel’s Apartheid” policy & system, you can bet that congressfolks person will get his/her pink slip from AIPAC. The money trail & contributions from AIPAC will come to a complete halt.

AIPAC’s next step is character assassination. If a high profile person(s), writer, congressfolks, senator, former president…etc…hasn’t been involved in sufficient scandal, AIPAC’s staff are masters at fabricating scandal against that individual(s).

Just look at what they have been trying to do to Prof. Norman Finkelstein.

WHY THE BIG SILENCE?

Here is the link to Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2006 & career total ($) amount to our U.S. Congressional Candidates.

Check it out & see why our congressfolks are silent when it comes to Israel’s brutal policies against the Palestinians & other matters.

To the Jewish Board members from the Carter Center who resigned in protest over President Carter’s new book “Palestine:Peace not Apartheid”, “stating to Carter, you have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side.” By your actions you have become what you find reprehensible in President Carter.By resigning you miss an opportunity for dialogue with all sides.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Jesus died a long time ago. He, therefore, does not have an opinion about military bases, American or not.

However, some of his, self-described, loony-toon followers do have opinions and they matter a great deal to this White House and the Likud Party of Israel. People will gladly do horrible things in the name of religion, long before they will for any other reason on earth. Then there are those who use the kool-aid drinking, religiously insane for their own motives, which usually include everyone’s favorite “graven image,” money and, of course, power.

Sometimes I wonder, what has really changed in the last two-thousand years, except that we now have the ability to torture and kill each other with greater efficiency and even destroy the planet, several times over. We have come a long way, Baby, haven’t we?

I don’t recall Carter saying that America’s best days are over, but if he did, he has good reason for thinking so.

“Just look around you, boy….

It’s got o scare you, boy…

and you tell me over and over again, my friend, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction?”

President Carter. I wish he was our president now. He is telling it like it is. Israel under Sharon and few others have created a mammoth problem for themselves and others. Palestinians are no saints either. They are just as bad. Both have been quite greedy and evil.

Mr. Carter….as some folks like to say…UdaMan!
Go and keep telling it like it is.

As an US citizen of Jewish heritage, I applaud President Carter’s brave efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

I am shocked at the disgraceful lack of respect shown this eminent and selfess elder statesman.

Still, the fact that fanatics are angry at Mr. Carter means is he doing something right.

What explains the level of hysterical vilification aimed at Carter - and anyone else in the US who talks honestly and objectively about the Middle East?

The reason is that the taboo on rational discussions of Israel has finally been broken, and the fanatics cannot live with this.

We desperately need a US president who has enough character and integrity to tell AIPAC to GO TO HELL, and to tell Israel to either accept an equitable 2 state solution of the kind proposed by Mr. Carter, or else lose ALL US financial and military support, effective immediately.

This insanity has gone on long enough, someone needs to save Israel from itself.

Outside pressure ended Apartheid in S. Africa, the same will have to happen in Israel.

It should have happened a quarter of a century ago, but better late than never.

It’s not surprising to me that any criticism of Isreal by a very respected world leader would threaten its ardent supporters. But did they really believe that it’s existence would never be questioned? At first, there was near unanimity to the creation of a state for a people who had been treated with such discrimination for so long, but to think this new state could be carved from an already existing place, displacing and ignoring the rights of thousands of inhabitants living there, and that this would never be questioned, is totally silly.

As long as the pro-Israel lobby in the United States remains as powerful as it is, but more importantly, as long as the United States stays the supreme military and economic engine in the world, the state of Israel is probably safe. After the centers of power and influence transfer to other centers (China, India, Western Europe ?) the state of Israel will be in jeopardy. What do the Chinese care about Biblical references? What do Indians know about the Sea of Galilee and other religious references?

Israel must hope that this doesn’t happen before the petrol runs out, because then they will be at the mercy of their very wealthy neighbors without the United States to prop them up.

I say it’s time for Israel to start serious negotiations with her neighbors, including creating a viable neighboring state with conventional borders and without separations, and sharing the governance and responsibility of Jerusalem. And to encourage this direction, the United States must evaluate its relation with Israel more seriously and fairly.

I posted this on another thread but it bears repeating. There are some Jews who are acting like Nationalists/Fascists/ Stop It!!! Stop the Fuckwitted Jews from creating a new anti Semitism

What is necessary is an ethic that recognizes every-one’s humanity. But a person’s humanity is the sum total that makes him human. Mankind is both a cooperative and competitive animal but it behooves us to strengthen those attributes which advances the common good, the common humanity, the cooperative aspect. There are people who refuse to see that. They are conventionally called right wingers. In the 1920’s and 30’s they hated Jews, now in the American context they hate Mexicans and Arabs. (What is shocking is that many of these right wing scum are now Jews)

But It doesn’t matter who they hate. They are the vermin of the planet and it is important to remove them as best we can. Right wingers need to be treated as they treat others, as cockroaches! This is not unfair to cockroaches as right wingers will kill you first. It is a matter of self defence.

This is an important film on the question of ethics and terror. The issue of Palestine.

As for now, Americans see things more clearly due to the recent Israels rampage and bombing of Lebanon (their democratic neighbor) and this leaves little doubt in the eyes of Americans about Israeli aggression and intent. We have a right to demand peace because too much of our treasury has financed the Israeli military, their wars, expansion, and bullying. Further, a blind identification of the United States policy with Israels assaults and inhumanity aimed at Palestinians has sullied our reputation around the world. It has cost us friends and respect from other peoples and nations. We Americans must side with JUSTICE not with aggression, with EQUALITY not with selective racial doctrines of a people chosen by a god, by their own account, as a justification for ethnic cleansing. Jimmy Carter is challenging America to grow up and act in our own interests and in our own ideals rather than carrying water for two-bit bullies or for untrustworthy allies who put their interest above ours. It is time for United States foreign policy, and for our domestic politics, to move towards diversity in areas such as our media, foundations, and institutions and policy, and in those pesky think tanks. One voice is too loud and it is shouting down all others. It shouts down the slightest criticism of Israel as “anti-Semitic.” And that is nonsense! That is not our America, or our American tradition!. God knows that one million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon. Shame! And there are five million Palestinians demanding an end to OCCUPATION, an end to the perpetual assault launched by Israel, and an end to “targeted murder” —the official Israeli
policy—that, in fact, is aimed at murdering civilians simply because they are Palestinian. Shame on the Israeli government’s serial killing! Enough of this duplicitous “kill Arabs, cry anti-Semitism.”

Jimmy Carter has written an excellent book that helps shed light on life inside Palestine. The former President seeks peace, a goal he talks about for the Middle East. He wants peace for everyone in that region and for the world. And he has the narrative about right. The attack on him by the smear-lobby demonstrates their fear of truthfulness and facts. Further, it is a great tragedy that over a long period of time that our United States policy and our government have supported Israel policy uncritically. We have done nothing in the Bush years, we have not used our wealth, influence, and power as the Israeli government and their military proceeds to brutalize, murder, bulldoze, to steal property and territory, and to impose OCCUPATION on the indigenous Palestinian population and now the Israelis enclose them physically in the worlds largest walled concentration camp while denying the Palestinians either a free choice to select a government of their own choice, or a right to full national independence accompanying full equal status and full standing of nationhood afforded other peoples and other countries. (The Israeli government has arrested, kidnapped and continues to hold ELECTED Hamas parliamentarians inside Israeli prisons. What people anywhere in the world would tolerate such arrogance and disrespect?)

We American can easily condemn the terrorism perpetrated by Palestinian militias but we must not ignore the long-term systematic inhumanity and barbarity that is partly caused by rabid nationalistic ideologies and by the militaristic goals of various warmongering politicians. In a word, Israeli policy and expansionist ideology equals INHUMANITY. The position that Americans must assume is a worldwide mobilization for a just resolution of this conflict. America must lead. This is what Carter seeks. We must demand that the Israeli Racial Supremacy Wall be removed from Palestinian’ land and that Israel pull back their covered wagon type settlements to the boarders recognized by the UN at the end of the 1967 war, or that, Jewish settlers that do not want to move back into Israel accept equality and become citizens of Palestine inside Palestine.

Good riddance! And congratulation President Jimmy Carter for getting rid of the hypocrite bunch!

One of your book’s great achievements is that it exposed the Zionist moles in your dignified Center who could not take the heat of the truth; those are no more than thought-terrorists, so let them go to hell! That they are gone is an honor to you President Carter, not a headache as the title of the thread suggests.

Millions in the U.S. and around the world are proud of you President Jimmy Carter. You have become a symbol of the conscientious Americans who are a breed in decline these days.

When you were President, though I always thought you were sincere and honest, you never earned the honor of being my hero; now you are my HERO and my PRESIDENT, for I do not recognize evil Bush as my president.

I agree with Kellina who posted above asking you to run again for the presidency as an independent or a third party canditate, for a party that’s always pandering to the Zionists, as Ms. Pelosi proved when she criticized your courage and honesty, do not deserve the honor of you being one of them.

You’re a breed apart Mr. President Carter, and you are the only qualified person to lead this nation, along with the Israelis, out from the wilderness of evil, arrogance and self-destruction to the light of the truth and the shores of safety and security.

Israel is in control of Congress, the Admin,the media, and has the support of millions of religious fundamentalists, so far as the middle east is concerned. Thus the mayhem there will likely never end.

It will take the world some time to get over the instinctive urge to support anything Israel does without question. There is no doubt that Jews deserve support after what was done to them in the past, and it is perfectly reasonable that Israel should enjoy a safe existence after 60 years and several generations of Israelis. However, the fact remains that what Israel is doing in Palestine and what it recently did in Lebanon is criminal. Jimmy Carter is quite correct, and very modest, in what he writes in his book. Yes, apartheid is being practiced by Israel.

>>In her online column last week, blogger Arianna Huffington reported on an encounter with Clark at a brunch preceding the swearing in of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as House speaker.

>>Clark, she reported, was really angry about a column suggesting that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was leading the charge in lobbying for U.S. air strikes against Iran in 2007.

>>Clark, who advocates negotiations with Iran, expressed concern about what he believes is an administration plan to take military action against that countrys nuclear facilities.

>>When asked how he knew the administration was planning an attack, he said this: You just have to read whats in the Israeli press. The Jewish community is divided but there is so much pressure being channeled from the New York money people to the office seekers.

President Carter, If your belief in Christianity is strong as you say, get off the USA claptrap. Jesus would not want US military bases round the world - its people are better than nobody. Speak up about the obvious 9/11 coverup. If you are muchly asleep, read 9/11 AND AMERICAN EMPIRE: INTELLECTUALS SPEAK OUT, just to get some of the details.

Carter’s book is among the most important works of any American President. It opens our eyes to the reality of Israel and the decades of Israel’s crimes against Palestine. The delusional belief that somehow the Jews are God’s chosen people has created the problem. Lands should not be given to people based on religious superstitions. Most people in the US are blinded by religious superstitions and do not know what is really going on. And some prefer to live in the delusional state (e.g. those who left the Carter center because of the book), but Carter’s heroic book should educate a lot of us and create a more favorable situation in both Palestine and Israel.

How can you argue with Carters truth of the matter? The center is better off without these 7% as they were most likely AIPAC funded moles which are evident throughout media, congress and entertainment circles. You know, the Israel first crowd…America second.

I think it’s a good sign that Carter’s book has drawn such ire from these people. He touched a nerve; he’s right, and they know it. They have no real arguments. They cannot prove him wrong, so all they can do is chuck their teddies out of the pram in protest. Fuck ‘em.

Go for it, Carter, and run for president again while you’re at it (as a third party candidate).

Why is it that anyone who disagees with Israel’s policy toward Palestine is branded antisemetic. President Carter is without a doubt the most honest and fair minded president of the last 50 years. I can’t say I always agreed with him but I never questioned his honesty or integrity.

I feel sure that Mr. Carter was not totally shocked by this. He had to have known, as most of us do, that any criticism of Israeli policies is bound to have adverse consequences for the the person doing the criticizing, in this country.

I haven’t read Carter’s new book, but if it is getting this kind of reaction, it must be a fairly important piece of work, so I will put it near the top of my reading list.

As an American who believes strongly in separation of religion and state, I am not sure we should be in the business of propping up any religious state, as it seems to me that, historically, wherever there has been a national religion, there has been persecution.

Several years ago, the news video coming out of Jenin opened my eyes to a new reality; one of which I had been blissfully unaware. Seeing those people, living in such slum conditions began to change my mind about always being such a knee-jerk defender of Israel.

Since then, matters have only gotten worse, with the full-scale, indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon, a fledgling Democracy, with cluster bombs, no less.

Carter is accused of no longer being an honest broker in the middle east? LOL.

The U.S. has lost the ability to be an “honest broker” in that region with the Bush administration, probably for a long time, unless the next president is a miracle worker.

Various Israeli officials have, to me, made a serious mistake by getting in bed, politically, with the Christian-right. That, alone, I find contemptible.

Great! Let these Zionist extremists go back to where they didn’t come from, I say. The central American position has to be the transformation of Israel from an apartheid state to a democracy. Those unwilling to live in a democracy whether Israeli or Palestinian are extremists to be politically isolated. Go, Jimmy!

Carter is one of those people who believes he is right and anyone who disagrees with him is not only wrong, but is evil. His book on Israel is filled with factual innaccuracies and is as biased against Israel as any bias he is claiming there is for Israel. Both are wrong IMHO. What does Carter expect fair minded people to do when he himself behaves in such a biased manner? It doesn’t help that he has taken so many millions of dollars from Arabs with disgusting track records of hardcore anti-semitism.

Sad to see Carter ruin his reputation like this. He could have continued to play an important role in trying to bring peace to that troubled region. Now he is likely to not have any credibility.

It is unfair how President Carter is being treated over his book. He was pointing out some of the injustice that have become true roadblocks to Middle East peace. The fact that anger is so high tells me there is truth in what Carter pointed out about how people are treated over there. There is fault on both sides. People have to stop killing each other. Carter has done more for peace than anyone alive today. It is time to lighten up on Jimmy.

You have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side, the departing members of the centers Board of Councilors told Carter as they self-righteously huffed off, clearly abandoning their historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for racial prejudice and discrimination!

They might as well have said how dare you tell the truth Carter! Burn your book or we are leaving and taking our money with us! Which gives new meaning to the expression charitable works, or maybe hypocrisy.

This incident is unfortunate only because the majority of whiners who attack Carter have never read the book. And because of fear of the truth, probably never will. To confront the truth might require meeting head on the radical Zionism that controls and threatens Israel and tarnishes the good name of Jews all over the world. Ultimately, they harm their own cause far more than they harm Carters work.

That goes for all you congressfolks too. Inform yourselves and get on the side where you belong ... America’s side. What’s good for Israel is not necessarily good for America. WHAT’S GOOD FOR AMERICA IS GOOD FOR AMERICA . When ever will you get your priorities right?

Jimmy Carter was a pathetic embarrassment when he was president and he is still an embarrassment. He is the most incompetent clown that ever disgraced the White House.

I am only sorry that he came from the same State that I am from.

This is just one more instance that shows his lack of good judgment. He has been on the wrong side of just about every issue. He has extolled dictators while dissing the President of the United States. In taking sides against Israel, he is automatically taking sides against the United States again.

It would service him well to keep his mouth shut; but he has never learned that good advice. He has constantly had something to say for different enemies of the US and something against our own leaders and our allies.

As Abe Lincoln said, “I would rather let the world think I am a fool than to open my mouth and remove all doubt”.......wise words from a wise man.

It is disturbing that this group of thirteen Jewish boardmembers decided to leave as a group. This is now more than just a statement of disagreement with former President Carter, it is an aggressive stance of a group that complete rejects any type of citicism towards Israel.
Of course it is anybody’s right to disagree with Mr. Carter latest book, but their reasoning is quite alarming and in a way threatening. What this is group is doing is not just attacking Mr.Carters latest book, it is attacking former President Carters career as well as the Carter Center itself. They are flexing their power and influence in an almost revengeful way. Nobody can criticise Israel and if so, you’ll have to deal with the con sequences.Not only has Mr. Carter shown great insight in the region over the years, he has worked endlessly to try to solve the horrific Palestinian problem. The board members reaction is very pity and clearly show complete intolerance to any opinion that critizes how Israel deals with the Palestinians over the last six years.

Yes, they just can’t handle Carter being right….it interferes with AIPAC propaganda, the Holocaust Industrial/Entertainment Complex and the auto default “they’re all terrorists”. Therefore, if you say one thing against Israeli atrocities or war crimes, you’re auto default ant semitic. It’s just more censorship.

US foreign policy has been simply hi-jacked by the Neo-Cons, Oil Companies and Pro-Zionists.

Israel was a main military supporter of the apartheid South African regime and treats all Arabs in the identical way that the US treated the native Americans.

Let’s get real and take off the rose colored glasses.

The Jewish Holocaust does not justify treating others in a way equal to the way the Nazis treated the Jews. That is frankly, misplaced anger and hatred.

Now, we have 3 generations of Arabs and Jews who hate each other since the formation of Israel. Obviously, the current path of perpetual ‘tit for tat’ war…is not working.

Additionally, Israel is a STATE, The Arab terrorists are just that, Terrorists. So how can Israel justify using the same methods against the Arabs terrorists? Perhaps it is because Israel was founded by TERRORISTS… the Irgun, who blew up the Brits with the same TERRIBLE methods that the Arabs use today.

That said, ALLL terror is wrong.

Furthermore, if the US government treated Black Americans the way Israel treata the Arabs, there would be a huge outcry in the US… so why does everyone remain silent, even after Israel destroyed Lebanon, A WHOLE NATION, ostensibly for the release of 3 or 4 soldiers? Or aftee Israel sank our ship, the USS Liberty, in 1967, etc.?

Let’s ge real. Israel is an APARTHEID STATE.

BTW, my family suffered under the Japanes fascists who killed 20 million Chinese from 1929-1945… so I also know what is a Holocaust, I also know what is racism…

BOTH the ARABS and the JEWS are racist and full of hate, and neither group care about the interests of the UNITED STATES.

The US should bail on the mid-east, ASAP.

That includes the ARABS and ISRAEL, all of whom are using our tax dollars with out any respect for OUR U.S. national values, of peace, freedom, equality and democracy.

This is not another headache for President Carter. This is the continuation of the headache he developed the day he became president and a continuation of the headache he gave this country as our worst president ever since he was president and ever since he left office. He should still to building houses but of course he almost demolished this country so I imagine he is doing the same with the homes for habitant homes he builds.